Fan the flames
by Marekiller
Summary: The misadventures that follow an amnesic teenage cat after he arrives in the city of Elmore.
1. Prologue

Downtown lay in ruins, the only buildings either unstable or on fire. Wood and steel bars stuck out of the smoking heaps of debris, and sometimes small explosions could be heard from beneath the rubble, as flameable-gas pipelines continued to spontaneously combust. These had been some of the lucky ones, on the mostly untouched outer edge.

Towards the inner part of downtown all other buildings had disappeared, replaced by a hole four stories deep. It had smooth black walls that seemed to absorb all light. Tanks lay on their sides as hollowed carcasses. Half-melted machine gun turrets filled the air with the scent of gunpowder. Not that it could overcome the smell of burning flesh. All-in-all the hole resembled the remains of an underground bunker. The handful of survivors who had managed to free themselves looked at it in astonishment. And the figure standing defiantly among the bodies.

The boy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm down before he lost control again. He could feel the flames start to go down as he finally relaxed. Then he heard the sirens. Sighing, he opened his eyes and saw the impressive hoard of police cars and S.W.A.T. vans rushing toward him. Various men and women clad in riot gear, bullet proof vests, and holding high powered rifles spilled from the vehicles as helicopters circled overhead. One woman had a bullhorn.

"Stop right there, mister!" The woman ordered as the boy turned to leave. "You are hereby arrested for the murder of at least seven hundred innocent people. If you don't comply I can't guarantee your safety."

The boy said nothing.

"Please be aware that we are authorized to use necessary force. Unless you come along peacefully, give yourself up, and stop this senseless violence. We will be forced to shoot and kill you."

The boy started to walk away.

"If that's how it's gonna be." The woman motioned to the men and women behind her. "Kill it."

The men and women obeyed and began to shoot at the boy. Surprised by the sheer force of the crossfire, the boy was lifted off his feet and into a nearby car. Thinking he was dead, the leader ordered a cease fire. When the smoke cleared however, it revealed the boy standing unfazed. Although several bullets had struck their marks, they didn't seem to have had much impact, other than to tick him off, a detail that prompted two men to drop their weapons and flee.

"My turn," the boy said with a demonic grin.

Five minutes. That's all it took for the S.W.A.T. to be mercilessly crushed. A once-formidable force was now reduced to ash like a library against a flamethrower. He had even gotten the two men who tried to run. As the leader struggled to regain consciousness, she caught sight of the smile pasted on the boy's face as he walked toward her. It was the smile of a kid in a toy store, she thought as he grabbed her by the neck. She hoped for a quick end.


	2. Chapter 1

Everyone sat at the table enjoying breakfast and talking about what they were planning on doing today. Eventually talk turned to why Nicole had left in such a hurry last night after receiving a phone call. Between Richard's idea about winning an unlimited supply of sausage to Anais' cure for cancer, everyone struggled to stay in their seats. But as often happens when you're a sugar-high hormonal teenager, things got boring, fast. So with nothing else to do they decided to play Advanced Dodge or Dare. Until eventually on the third time around, and to the relief of the wall, they heard the front door open as well as Nicole talking to someone.

Everyone grew quiet as Nicole strolled into the Kitchen looking like she hadn't slept last night. Without looking at them she walked over to the fridge and got out some yogurt. Returning to the table she grabbed the remaining chair and sat down with a sigh. Closing her eyes, she began to weep softly. After a moment, she opened her eyes to find her family watching her. She felt her ears growing hot.

"What?" She asked, wiping her tears on her sleeve.

"You feeling okay, honey?" asked Richard. Pieces of plaster covering his body making him look like a ghost.

Sighing deeply, Nicole nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gumball exchange a look with Darwin. They both nodded typing furiously on their laptops, which had suddenly appeared on the table. She dismissed it as the homework they had forgotten.

"So, who were you talking to Mom?" Anais asked over the typing.

"When?"

"Twelve minutes ago, when you came home." Gumball and Darwin exchanged another look.

Nicole blinked slowly as realization came over her. "I-Carson."

"Carson?" Everyone asked.

"Your cousin, Carson. I completely forgot, he's still waiting outside."

Richard began choking on his toast. "He is?"

"He's my sister's son. Last week she…passed away in a fire. We're all he has left."

"Which sister?"

"Lucy."

"The one who everyone says works for the government, but no one knows what she does? That Lucy?

"Yes."

"The one who people say doesn't exist?"

"What are you getting at Richard?" Nicole asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I just don't think it would be a good idea if he stayed here." Richard shrugged.

Sensing danger Gumball pulled Anais into the hallway, with Darwin following carrying their backpacks.

"And why not?" Nicole demanded, unsheathing her claws.

Eyeing the claws Richard backed into the hallway before answering. "Because if Carson is anything like you or his crazy mother then he-"

Before Richard could even run, much less blink, Nicole was out of her chair and had him pinned against the wall. But before she could kill her husband, there came an ear-shattering explosion from outside that threw everyone off their feet.


	3. Chapter 2- Meet the family

Static. Then nothing. Then blurry, out-of-focus gray objects. Eventually my mind settled down enough for my eyes to focus on my surroundings. I was lying on my back in some bushes, covered in cuts and bruises. A quick check revealed nothing was broken so I decided to get up. Groaning I got to my feet, my body sore.

The first thing I noticed was the car. Sitting a few feet away in the driveway, Aunt Nicole's car sat burning like a summer camp bonfire. A painful reminder that I had lost control again. On the bright side it wasn't large enough to gain the attention of Them. Although I still needed to be careful. Don't want to make my new family suspicious. Especially Cousin Anais, she'll love to take me apart and see what makes me tick. I sighed, leaning against a tree and calling the fire department. At least my Ducati was okay.

Right on cue, Nicole came rushing out of the house trailed by her family. She made a bee-line for the car like a moth to a flame, leaving me for later. Which was fine, I needed time to work on a story that would fool both her and Anais, the genius. After staring into the flames for a few minutes she walked over to where the rest of us were standing. Her face a mix of shock and anger that said: If you weren't related I'd kill you right now.

"Hey Nicole. How's it going?" I asked attempting to catch her off guard by being nice.

She said nothing, instead her eyes turning red. Not a good sign.

"I bet you're wondering what happened to your car."

Still no answer. Out the corner of my eye I could see Gumball and Darwin trying not to laugh. Thanks for the support guys.

"Well you see, I was getting ready to come inside and begin our wondrous new life together. When these three guys playing with fireworks came by and-"

Nicole held up a hand. "You're a worse liar than Gumball. Right now I could care less what the hell happened to my car. I'm just glad you're okay. Now let's all go inside and get you fixed up. We can go shopping later."

I nodded; glad I was off the hook. But behind Nicole, I saw Anais watching me closely. She didn't seem convinced of my story either.

I climbed the stairs carrying a heavy duffel bag of clothes Nicole had bought me. Due to the limited space in the house, and because Richard wouldn't give up the couch, I was going to be sleeping with Anais. Not that I mind. It's just that I've never been very good with the opposite sex. Being locked up and treated like you weren't human, doesn't exactly help one's social life. The only contact I got with any girls, were when my "Mom" and the other women scientists would come to take my vitals after nearly being killed by the men. Yeah.

I came to the door of Anais' room and knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again. Nothing. I tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. I walked inside and found Anais asleep on the only bed. The TV was still on. She had been watching that show, Daisy the Donkey takes on the world. Turning off the TV I proceeded to set my sleeping bag on the floor beside Anais' bed. Once satisfied that everything was packed away and done I went to take a shower.

Don't let the whole "cats hate water" thing fool you, I love taking a shower. It's one of the few times you get to yourself, where you can take the time to seriously think about your life. Although lately my life sucks, so there wasn't much thinking. After getting out of the shower I decided to test my powers again. I was sure everyone had gone to bed for the night. This was why I hadn't bothered to lock the door. So there shouldn't be any chance of getting caught. I closed my eyes and felt the familiar warm feeling come over me. I could feel the water start to evaporate. It was good. Then I opened my eyes and noticed I wasn't alone anymore. Shit. Anais. I turned and saw her standing in the doorway mouth agape, wearing purple Daisy the Donkey pajamas. The flames went out instantly. Then I remembered I was completely naked. Instinctively I jumped back into the shower and drew the curtain between us. When I peeked out again I saw Anais blushing deeply as she attempted to advert her eyes. I thought she was just as embarrassed as I was, and was trying to save me some dignity. But then I noticed she was watching me in the mirror. She looked at me a moment longer then quietly walked out the door, closing it behind her. I immediately banged my head hard against the wall. This was going to be an interesting experience.


	4. Chapter 3- In the morning

_The boy smiled as he listened to the fleeing mob trample one another in their haste to escape. He'd deal with them when he finished with the S.W.A.T. leader. But as he prepared for the final blow, he heard a loud whirring sound from behind him. Rather than turn around and see what it was, he decided to leave it, writing it off as another news helicopter crew too add to the pile. His assumption was what is commonly known as a big mistake._

_The next thing he knew, he felt an intense stinging feeling run through his body as a long, gray piece of steel pierced his shoulder. He howled in pain as blood gushed from the wound, soaking the woman in front of him. Barely hanging onto reality, the boy turned to face his new foe._

_The boy looked at the large, dark object before him: a ten-foot-tall robot, all decked out in thick, black armor. In the center of its body, protected by glass windshields, stood a single pilot, also dressed in pilot smiled through his helmet, a smile of triumph._

"_Nice little game you got going on here." The pilot said. "Mind if I join in?"_

_The boy said nothing, shooting daggers at the the pilot with his eyes._

"_What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"_

_If looks could kill, that pilot would be dead as the boy continued to glare hatefully._

"_Don't tell me you're still mad. I could've just killed you instead of giving you a chance to surrender."_

_At this the boy laughed._

"_What's so funny?" The pilot asked, surprised that the boy still had the energy to laugh._

"_You are. You think you can actually kill me with that suit of yours. But really you're just a coward." To the surprise of all that were around him, the boy pulled the rod out of his shoulder._

"_Think I can't?"_

"_Think you have the guts to even try?"_

_A plethora of cannons emerged from the machine's body. They charged up with blue energy at the tips. Then they rained a storm of energy on the boy. Surprisingly, the beams missed, exploding harmlessly where he had stood a few seconds ago. Not wasting time, the pilot let loose with the gatling gun on his arm, tearing apart anything that got in the way. Just when it started to look like the pilot would never hit the relentlessly-moving boy's back, one of the beams found its mark, catching the boy in the stomach._

_The boy let out a groan as he clutched his stomach; he could do nothing to defend himself as he was grabbed by an enormous steel hand and lifted up to the pilot's smiling face. Beside him the robot's other arm moved to keep the gatling gun locked onto the boy's head. He couldn't fight back anymore._

_Once the pilot stopped laughing over the fate of the boy he said, "This is your punishment for killing all those innocent people. You brought it upon yourself. And the world will happily watch me deal it out. Then we'll see who the coward really is, freak."_

_The boy was about to ask what he meant, when the pressure upon his body increased. He felt his bones start to crunch and creak as the metal hand slowly closed tighter. Glancing at the cockpit, he saw the pilot staring at him with absolute insanity; The pilot's eyes were visibly bloodshot to the point where even his irises had turned red. He no longer wanted to play games. He wanted to kill the boy. Sickening amounts of blood poured to the ground as the boy started to feel cold and go into shock. _

_Hearing someone crying, the boy glanced to the ground where the S.W.A.T. leader was getting to her feet. The woman appeared to be saying something, but he couldn't make out the words. The boy watched as the woman was ripped to shreds by the gatling gun. Then, everything went black._

_The anger on the pilot's face had faded slightly and there was more of a sense of victory as he listened to the boy's agonizing screams of pain. It was like a sweet symphony played just for him, and he enjoyed every second of it. That is until the alarms began to blare._

_Annoyed, the pilot opened his eyes and looked at the flashing message on his helmet visor. Temperature rising? Looking outside, he saw eight small fires burning around the closed fist, as smoke twisted its way out between the fingers. He heard a distinct boom as he watched the robot's hand explode before him. As he continued to look on in awe, a figure made entirely of white fire emerged from the debris. It looked straight at him, floating level with the cockpit. It opened its mouth, revealing a nothingness darker than space, a nothingness that wanted to consume everyone. For the first time in his career, the pilot was afraid._

Fully clothed, I watched the early light arise over the quiet neighborhood, something I had become accustomed to doing ever since I started having these dreams-dreams of pain and death.

I listened to the sounds of the morning, relishing in the calm before everyone else awoke. It was times like this when I would imagine that I had been born a normal boy, with a normal family that loved him, instead of a monster created for destruction. Free from responsibility and pain, I imagined I was just another idiot on the road through life, though I knew that could never be true. Mom had tried to teach me about being in a family and look where that got her: Dead. She had been burnt beyond recognition, according to the investigators. A fiery death; that's what awaits anyone who tries to get close to me.

"Hey kid!" A voice called, interrupting my thoughts.

I looked up. In the street a slightly overweight green gorilla wearing a FedEx worker's outfit waved enthusiastically. Jumping down from the roof, I ran over to see what he wanted.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Yeah, uh, is this the Watterson residence?" He asked, looking at a clipboard.

"Sure is." I answered.

"Okay, great. And, um, are you by chance a Ms. Anais Watterson?"

I almost broke the guy's nose. "Do I look like a _Ms_?"

"How should I know? You cat's all look the same to me." He shrugged. "So are you or not?"

I facepalmed. Was this guy blind? How could he mistake me for a girl?

"You know what, forget it. I am Anais."

"Great! I have a package for you. If you'll just sign here." The gorilla beamed, handing me a clipboard. "Pleasure doing buisness with you."

"Likewise." I watched him drive off in his white FedEx truck, glad that the whole ordeal was over.

Undoubtedly, he was new to the job and had been nervous. Probably still lived with his mother. In her basement. Shaking my head I lifted the large cardboard box over my shoulder and walked toward the house.

"Carson! Where the hell have you been?" Nicole asked as I entered the house. She was dressed in blue high heels and a light blue formal blouse that greatly outlined her figure. Behind her, Richard was wearing a black suit.

"I, uh, went out for a walk." I lied, shrugging as I put down the box.

Nicole shook her head. "Right. Well, me and Richard have got to go to a meeting at the office. I just wanted to wish you good luck on your first day. _And _remind you to behave yourself or I'll be forced to punish you."

Punished by Nicole? No thank you!

"I understand." I said.

"Good." She handed me a tan piece of paper. "That's you schedule. Don't lose it and don't be late."

I nodded putting it in my back pocket.

Richard glanced at his watch, motioning to Nicole. She nodded. "Alright. So that's everything I wanted to tell you. If you need anything Anais can probably help. Just try to have a good day."

I watched as they rushed outside and got into Richard's pickup. Then after a long moment of standing stupidly in the hallway, I walked toward the kitchen. And immediately ran into Anais. She was sitting at the table having breakfast with Gumball and Darwin. I watched the girl who had seen me naked last night eat her waffles without saying a word. I nodded at her and began to grab myself a plate. I sat down across from her, Gumball on one side, Darwin on the other.

As I was eating she got up and came across the table to sit next to me. I glanced at her. She was dressed in a pink hoodie, a purple tank top, shorts, and pink flip flops. She also seemed to be wearing perfume. It smelled good. As I watched, Anais reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper which she handed to me.

It said simply:

_WE NEED TO TALK. ALONE. AFTER SCHOOL. SOUTH PARKING LOT._

I looked back at Anais, but she had already gotten up to leave. Grabbing her bag, she went and stood by the doorway, tapping Gumball on the shoulder as she went by.

"What?" Gumball asked, continuing to devour his waffles.

"Time to go."

"But I'm not finished eating-"

She glared at him.

"Fine. Darwin. Carson. Let's go."

Darwin nodded and grabbed his stuff. Reluctantly, I did the same. On the way out the door, our eyes met and he gave a look that said, _what can you do?_

I shrugged. "Some people actually like going to school. They must sneak something in the cafeteria food."

He nodded, giving a grin.

"What the hell is taking you two so long!" Anais demanded, from the front seat of Gumball's car.


	5. Chapter 4- Off to school

"Morning class!" Mr. Lincoln, my science teacher exclaimed, as he stumbled through the door carrying a large box. "Before we begin our experiment for today, I would like to introduce you all to our new student: Carson."

Every head turned to my direction, towards the back of the room. Suddenly, I can feel every pair of eyes drilling into me, analyzing the new meat. Near the door, there was even a guy cracking his knuckles. Inconspicuously, I slide down into my seat.

"Don't be shy, Carson. Why don't you come on up to the front and tell us about yourself?" asked Mr. Lincoln, giving me a big smile.

Cursing my luck, I reluctantly obliged. Standing in front of the class, my eyes scan the room for any friendly faces, but I find none.

"Well as you said, my name is Carson." I said, flashing a smile. "As for a little about myself, there's not much to tell. I'm a simple guy with simple needs."

Not the best speech ever, but it got my point across. At least no one was threatening me...yet. So I'll take this as a victory.

"Is there nothing else you want to tell us?" Mr. Lincoln asked, interrupting my self praise.

"Not really."

"Past schools?"

"No."

"Favorite activities?"

"Nope."

"How about past girlfriends?"

There were some snickers from the girls.

"Heck no."

"Okay. Just one last question." Mr. Lincoln said.

Dang.

"The office didn't include your last name in the packet I received. Would you mind saying it? It's for my records."

I shrugged. "I don't have one."

"What do you mean 'you don't have one'?"

"I just don't." And with that I started walking back to my seat. Getting as far as the second row, before tripping over someone's outstretched foot.

The room erupted in raucous laughter, as I picked myself off the floor. I could feel my cheeks burning from the embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I trip you?" A voice said behind me.

Now I had two choices: I could turn around, face the jerk and probably break his nose. Or, I could continue to my seat. Being the rational guy that I was and remembering what Nicole had said earlier, I walked away.

And being the typical jerk, he began making loud clucking sounds.

"What's wrong Carson? Are you normally a pathetic wuss?"

Pathetic?

"That's enough Mr. Turner." Mr. Lincoln voiced, appearing next to me. "Or do you want to go visit the vice principal again?"

"Sheesh. I'm just having fun, Mr. Lincoln. Lighten up."

Lighten up?

"Yeah, he's right. It was just a silly prank right?" I said.

"Yeah, see he gets it."

"Yeah I get it." I agreed, setting the guy's hair on fire.

"Ex-AHHHHHHHHH!"

The guy starts running around the room hysterically, as he tries to put out the flames. Mr. Lincoln is behind him, spraying with the fire extinguisher. Meanwhile everyone else just stare, as the guy passes them. They have no idea what is going on.

"Fire!" The guy screams.

"Hold still!" Mr. Lincoln shouts.

All of a sudden, the guy trips and falls, his body now fully engulfed. Taking the opportunity, Mr. Lincoln starts spraying him. Eventually, the fire is out, but the guy is still on the floor.

"Miss. Rabaiotti, go get the nurse…and the principal." Mr. Lincoln quickly insisted, his voice grave.

"Is he alright?" A girl asked.

Mr. Lincoln sighed. "He's...I'm going to call 911, we need to get him to a hospital. There is nothing I can do for him here."

Everyone begins exchanging looks, fear, confusion, and worry on their face.

_"What happened?"_

What is it about being in a new place surrounded by people I don't know that makes me want to start breaking things? It doesn't help that the cousins ditched me as soon as we showed up. Guess they didn't want to be seen with the new kid. Not that I'd do anything different and what was with Anais? As she was walking with her friends, I thought I saw her blush when one of them pointed at me. Is she that embarrassed to know me? Am I that much of a loser?

Also, what happened back in Chemistry? I remember being tripped by that guy, but then nothing. I awake to a dead body and suspicious faces. From what I could gather from those who would talk to me, the guy's head spontaneously combusted. Was it me?

I'm still musing over this when I hear laughter from around the next corner. It's immediately followed by the sound of something being thrown against a wall. Curious as I was I went to go check it out. And almost killed someone. There on the ground laying in her own blood, surrounded by four guys holding knives and dressed in red leather jackets, was a small, orange lion/tiger hybrid.

As I watched the leader, a short ocelot with brown fur, motioned for the liger to be picked up. Nodding their heads, a rock golem with bright green magical runes and a muscle bound red rhino break from the group and roughly force their victim to her feet. From the way she grimaced, I can guess that her left leg is broken. Utterly helpless, the liger starts pleading with the gang, promising various favors if they let her go. Unfortunately, the leader refused to listen. He pulled back his fist to hit her, grinning deviously.

_WHUMP_! The fist makes contact with her stomach. The liger coughs up blood, her eyes getting cloudy. She looks in my direction. Our eyes meeting for a few seconds.

_Help me. Please._

The leader pulls back his fist again.

_CRACK_! His fist slams into my cheek, knocking loose one of my teeth. Surprised, he backs off.

"That all you got?" I asked, spitting blood at the leader's feet. Behind me, the liger gasps.

For a few moments all was silent. Everyone too shocked by my sudden appearance to move. Much less say anything. They all just stared at me with vacant faces. For five minutes. Five whole minutes. Finally, the leader broke the silence.

"Who the heck are you?" He asked in a strangely high voice. He turned to his other lackey, an otter with spiky brown fur and a black ring around his eye. "Rob, who is this fool?"

Instead of answering I broke into a fit of laughter, brought on by hearing a dude that sounded like he had ingested helium.

The leader turned back to me. "What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"It's your voice dude. You sound like a girl!" I said, struggling to breathe.

"Uh maybe that's because I am a girl."

Say what? I stopped laughing and looked back at the ocelot. He looked serious. "You're a girl?"

"Yes. That would explain what I'm wearing and why my voice is so high." The ocelot nodded. He motioned to his clothes, which consisted of black flats and a skirt, in addition to the leather jacket. How did I miss that? "Also why my parents named me Alicia"

I continued to stare blankly. Struggling to comprehend how a girl had just punched me hard enough to knock a tooth loose.

Sighing the ocelot snapped her fingers. "Rob. Heins. Jenson. Teach this fool the difference between boys and girls."

Instantly, I found myself surrounded by the lackeys. Heins, the rhino, grabs my arms and pins them behind me. Then Jenson, the golem and Rob take turns punching me in the stomach, chest, and other areas.

Yeah, I know what you're going to say. I'm an experiment built for destruction. I shouldn't be able to feel pain. And that would be true, except that I _can_ feel pain. I'm not indestructible. I can just take a lot of abuse. Something that can be both a blessing and a curse.

"So newbie, learn your lesson yet?" Rob said, giving me another punch in the stomach.

"That girls hit harder than you punks? Or maybe, only cowards pick on those who can't fight back?" I said. "Sorry I already knew that."

"Cowards, eh?" Rob pulled out his knife. Winking at me, he proceeded to cut a thin line across my cheek. I grimaced internally. "Who's the coward again?"

I answered him with a swift kick between the legs.

"AHHHHHHH!" He shouted, dropping the knife.

Next, my head made contact with Heins' nose, breaking it. Screaming, he released my arms and shortly afterwards, he also received a kick to the privates.

Lastly, in front of me, was the golem. Being made of rock, I won't be able to kick him between the legs. So I'll just have to try something else. Except, the golem wasn't attacking. Confused, I looked around for the last lackey. Nothing. How did something that big just disappear?

There's a cough from behind me. "Guess that's it then."

Suddenly, there's a knife at my neck cutting off my ability to breathe: _Alicia._

"You fight well newbie. What's your name?" Alicia asked.

"Carson."

"Carson." She repeated, spitting it out like poison. "Well, Carson. You got lucky today. Usually I wouldn't hesitate to get back at someone who crosses me, but I like you. So I'll let you go."

Gee thanks. Wait, she likes me?

"But." Alicia pushes the knife deeper into my neck. "If you ever try a stunt like that again. I won't be so forgiving. Capiche?"

I nodded.

"Good boy." The knife is removed from my neck. Then before I can relax, she kisses me on the cheek.

"What?"

She winked at me and turns to leave with her ruffled gang. Heins, nursing a broken nose. And Rob making obscene gestures as he struggles to walk away with pride. Neither looks like he'll be bothering anyone for a while.

Shaking my head, I turn back to their victim. She's wearing a blue dress with miniature white flowers along the bottom. Both her arms are covered in various cuts from where the thugs' knives touched her. She's also trying to hobble away on her one good leg.

"Hey stop!" I shouted, running to catch up with her.

Startled, she lost her balance and fell backward, her arms flailing in direction, before she cried out. In an instant, I got behind her, catching her before she touched the ground.

"I got you."

Her brown eyes follow me, as I help her to a nearby bench. They were filled with fear, a reaction I know all too well.

"You okay?" I asked, as I kneel down beside her to check her leg. It's bent at an awkward angle but otherwise seemed to be fine.

She continued staring at me, her silence so thick, it could be cut with a butter knife.

I sighed. "Listen. We need to get that leg of yours fixed up."

No reply.

"I'm going to carry you on my back. Is that alright with you?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you help me? You don't even know me." She asked, her voice a slight Brazilian accent.

I shrugged. "So? I couldn't just let them beat you up for no reason either."

"Everyone else does; they see what's happening, but they don't do anything." She's looking at the ground now, her voice faltering.

"Well, that's not me. If I see someone in trouble, I try to do something. That's what a true friend would do."

"Friend? We're friends?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

She grinned widely.

"Okay. Uh, let's go get you to the nurse." I suggested. If I'm not mistaken, I think her eyes just changed color when I mentioned we were friends. Instead of being black, they now seemed a dark purple. Weird.

"Okay."

I gently helped her onto my back, being careful to not cause her more pain than I had to. She was surprisingly light.

"By the way. What's your name?"

"Kendall."

"Mine's Carson. Nice to meet you."

"You too." She beamed.

"So let me get this straight. The reason you look like...this, is because you got into a car wreck on the way to school? Is this correct?" Vice Principal Elkrose asked, reading the report.

I nodded, the movement pulling some of my stitches free. "That's right."

"And the girl, Kendall was it? How was she involved?"

"She looked tired. So being the good samaritan that I am, I gave her a ride." I shrugged.

"Uh, huh."

Standing at nearly 7 feet, Vice Principal Elkrose was big. Even by bull standards. He wore a tight beige suit that highlighted his muscles. With his mirrored sunglasses on, I couldn't tell if he was believing a word of what I was saying, or calculating how far he could throw me out the nearest window.

He muttered something. "Must have been a fluke."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Nothing, but more to the point, you do know that fighting is prohibited right, Mr. Watterson?"

"I do now."

"And that if I were to catch you, I would be forced to suspend you."

"I guess that makes sense."

"And your aunt. She wouldn't be all too thrilled to hear you got suspended on the first day, would she?"

I felt my body shivered, as an image of Nicole standing over my broken body formed in my mind.

"No."

He closed the folder on his desk, throwing it into the trash.

"All right, since you're the cousin of our most prestigious student, I'm willing to turn a blind eye this time. But if I ever catch you fighting another student…"

He slid a finger across his throat.

"I understand."

"Attaboy." He lowered his voice. "Between you and me, Nicole scares the shit out of me everytime I see her."

I nodded my head in agreement. Nicole scared me too.

"Glad I'm not the only one. Now you go on to class, as I got work to do."

"Yes sir."

Picking up my stuff I hurried out the door, and hopefully a less eventful afternoon.


	6. Chapter 5- An afternoon on the town

**Disclaimer: The character Lexy is the product of Lexboss' imagination not mine. This is a collaboration between us both. That is all.**

* * *

The school bell rang, and what was once a silent, empty hall quickly became crammed with hundreds of students eager to go home and forget this day ever happened. I followed the pack of students with my head down, intentionally avoiding the occasional glances from teachers and students alike as I walked through the double doors and into the sunlight. The only thing I wanted to do at that moment was go on a long ride through the nearby forest. Maybe I'd burn down a couple acres while I was out there. Just as long as I got some time to myself, I'd probably be happy. At least that was the plan, anyway. Imagine my surprise when I found Anais waiting on the steps for me.

"Hey, Anais," I said innocently.

"What happened to you?" Anais questioned, looking at my stitches.

I shrugged. "So, you really want to know?"

"Probably not," She sighed, getting to her feet. "Well, let's go."

"Go? Go where?"

"To the mall. I want to go shopping, and you're going to take me," She calmly stated.

"Shopping? I don't do _shopping_," I replied flatly. "You can go alone."

"Yeah, I figured," Anais said, taking out her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling mom. Thought I'd tell her you got into a fight on your first day, even though she told you not to."

"So, I'm not scared."

"As well as mention your little secret."

"What secret?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb; you know the one. Remember last night?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," she said with a sweet smile.

Fuck. She actually looked like she would do something like that, too. So what could I do? I couldn't decide what would be worse: Letting her tell the entire family about me, or go spend time in a building full of people who have nothing better to do than pick fights over the latest fashion trend. To be honest, being chained up and hung by my ankles from a crane sounded more enjoyable.

"Fine. Whatever you want. Let's just go already."

Anais nodded, hanging up the phone. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

I showed her my middle finger. Only the thought of me getting caught by The Organization kept me from setting her on fire and being done with it.

* * *

Why can't women just pick a set of clothes and be done with it? Why do they have to try on the entire store before they make a decision? And why the heck does that saleswoman keep looking in my direction every time she thinks I'm not paying attention?

I was sitting alone, enjoying my third soda, and waiting for Anais to come out of the dressing room. Apparently she wanted to bore me to death before we even had our discussion. I probably would've been okay with the boredom, if it didn't involve sitting alone in a women's department store and being asked loaded questions about how she looked. Yeah, those were fun. On the bright side, this had yet to turn into one of my typical shopping ventures.

As I started guzzling another soda to help me get through this hated bonding activity, something made me look up. I glanced across the store and noticed a girl about my age looking through some dresses. As I watched, she periodically stripped some of their tags and slipped them into her backpack. When the backpack was as full as it could be, she started walking toward the exit, taking care to look around. As she neared the front, she saw me watching her and gave a little wave. I gave a curt nod and continued drinking my soda. It's always better not to get involved.

"Well?" A voice called from behind me. "How do I look?"

I turned to see Anais standing behind me with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a purple blouse with a yellow flower on it and yellow lines along the back, a pink mini-skirt, knee-high black socks, and black flats. All in all, she didn't look half-bad.

Anais smiled coyly. "Like what you see?"

I shrugged. "That depends. What am I supposed to be seeing.

"My outfit," she said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me how it looks."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do I have to tell you how it looks on you? Can't you decide that on your own?"

"Yes, but it helps to have an unbiased male opinion as well."

"Unbiased? Since when is a girl asking about how she looks _unbiased_?"

"Just tell me what you think," Anais said, looking irked.

"Will my judgement affect us getting out of here faster?" I asked, trying my best to look like I was going to cry.

"Probably."

"Well then, I love it," I said. "Let's buy it and get the heck out of this place."

Anais gave a troubled sigh, her mini-skirt swaying slightly. "Fine. We can go."

"Great!" I said clapping my hands. "I'm starving."

Anais gave another sigh, shaking her head. "You're a real piece of work; you know that?"

"If you say so," I answered, heading for the exit.

On the way out of the store, I noticed a group of guys watching us from a nearby sports store. I couldn't see their faces clearly but I'm pretty sure they were eyeing Anais' body. Expressionlessly, I moved to block their gazes, receiving a few obscene gestures for my trouble. Grinning, I gave them some gestures of my own. _Bastards._

"So, where are going now?" I asked, still watching the group.

"Didn't you say you were hungry?" Anais asked.

"Yeah," I muttered. In fact I'm always hungry. Setting things on fire takes a lot of energy.

"Okay, I know this great pizza restaurant not far from here. And the owner is friends with mom, so we always get a discount."

"And, let me guess: Nicole threatened to claw his eyes out if he didn't agree to the discount?" I asked.

Anais stopped walking and turned back to me, shock evident on her face. "Why do you say that?"

"Seriously? Have you even seen your mom?"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Well for starters, she scares the heck out of me."

"You're joking."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Anais shook her head. "I can't believe this. You, of all people are scared of mom?"

"Yes."

" You. The guy who can manipulate fire."

"What can I say? She's a scary person."

"Uh huh."

"You know what? Let's forget this conversation ever happened."

"Fine by me," Anais said, walking again.

"Great," I said flashing one last gesture at the group.

* * *

You know how I said I hate going shopping? Well, I found something ten times worse: listening to Anais talk about science as we waited in the long line at the bank. If ever there was a time I wished for someone to shoot me in the head, this was it. And there I was without any soda.

"So, as you can see, until we can prove that nanotech can be safely accepted by the body it'll be next to impossible for us to expand in our research. It'll be pretty useless if all our subjects die everytime we inject them. The CNS would shut us down for malpractice," Anais stated.

"Uh huh," I said, nodding.

"Which is where you come in. Based on the amount of physical abuse your body can take, as well as the mental strain, I think you'll be the perfect test subject for my team's toxicity testing."

"Uh huh," I nodded again.

Anais looked at me closely. "You don't understand a word I've been saying, do you?"

"Not at all," I said.

She groaned, shaking her head.

Hey, I might be a genetic experiment created by the latest advancements in science, but that doesn't mean I understand anything. Now, if you were to tell me you needed to break into a science facility, that I could help you with. But other than that, I'm pretty useless at the whole thinking side of it.

A few seconds went by, and then Anais shrugged. "Guess that's what I get for talking to a common idiot. Should've known it was beyond your comprehension to understand anything other than how to injure someone twice your size."

Not knowing if I just got insulted or praised, I kept my mouth shut. Instead I turned my gaze to the now-moving line.

The man in front of us walked up to the bank teller and handed her a folded piece of paper. Unfolding the paper, the teller quietly read it and then shook her head. They exchanged a few words and the teller shook her head again. Nodding, the guy turned to leave, reaching into his coat pocket as he did so. Then, he pulled out a high-caliber pistol and leveled it at the teller's head.

"All right, nobody move! Hands in the air, now!" He ordered, grabbing the teller by her hair.

From across the room, two security guards saw what was happening and quickly came running.

"Hey! Freeze!" one of them called.

_BLAM!_

One of the guards was thrown off his feet and slammed into the wall, a single gunshot in his head. The other guard dropped to his knees with a hand clutching his chest. Immediately blood started seeping through his fingers. Behind him stood another robber, this one holding a shotgun. Grinning mischievously, the robber leveled the shotgun at the guard's head.

_CRACK!_

The robber screamed as his left knee was suddenly realigned. A swift kick to the chest and he soon fell like a rock.

"Robert!" The first robber shouted, gun still on the teller. His eyes focused on me.

Giving Robert a swift kick in the ribs, I gave a playful smile. "Sorry, I don't think think your friend will be taking any calls anytime soon. Can I take a message?"

He glared at me. "Kid, you don't know what you just did."

"Really? You mean I didn't just kick the shit out of your friend?"

He didn't answer.

"You're not upset are you? Do you need a hug?"

"Shut up."

"Why?"

"I said shut up."

"And I said, why?"

"Kid, if you don't shut the hell up I'm going to grab you by that tail and make you eat it. Raw."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Prove it."

He nodded and grinned. "Craig, get over here and teach this kid what happens when you mess with us."

Another guy emerged from the crowd and walked over to me. He stood at nearly three times my size and was covered in tattoos. He slowly cracked his knuckles one at a time. "It's nothing personal, kid."

Before I could answer, I was suddenly knocked unconscious by a heavy blow to the back of my head. The last image I saw was someone's black boot coming to meet my face.

* * *

"Hey kid, you still alive?"

"Is he dead?"

"I'm not sure."

"Sure looks dead."

"Did you see that guy? If I was hit by someone that big I'd probably be dead too."

"You're both wrong. He's not dead. Can't you see him breathing?"

"Oh, yeah."

I slowly came to, opening my eyes to discover I was in a dark room full of people. My head felt like it just went through the works again, probably the effect of me hitting the ground. Also there seemed to be something laying on my chest, causing me to have problems breathing. At least I was alive.

"Ugh, my head," I said, startling the people around me. This included Anais, who seemed to have been laying on my chest.

"You're okay!" Anais said, giving me a hug.

I cringed. It felt like I also had a few broken ribs in there too. Great.

"So what happened? Where are we?" I asked, breaking free of Anais' grip.

"In the room they keep the safe deposit boxes." An owl answered. "They said we were going to be their bargaining tools for when the police show up."

I nodded; that made sense. Were I robbing a bank, If I wasn't sure if I was going to get away, I'd at least have a plan to keep the police from being able to touch me for a few hours.

"So, is everyone okay?" I questioned, getting to my feet.

The owl nodded. "Luckily, they didn't seem to want to deal with the rest of us. The only one who might need a doctor, though, is that guard in the corner."

"Guard?"

He nodded, pointing to one of the far corners where some people were huddled. I could barely make out the outline of the security guard who got shot earlier, leaning against the wall. Thanking the owl, I walked over and knelt beside him.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, knowing it was a stupid question to be asking.

He looked up at me. "Not really. To be honest I'm surprised the bullet didn't just kill me, seeing as how close it was to hitting a vein."

"Mind if I take a look at it?"

"Are you a doctor?"

"No, but I do know a few things about gunshot wounds."

He looked skeptical.

"Just show me the wound."

Reluctantly, he removed the piece of cloth he was holding against the wound. Almost immediately it began to start leaking blood again.

"We're going to have to get that bullet out of you if we want to stop the bleeding," I said. "You might want to bite onto something."

Before he could respond, I shoved my hand into the wound and drug the bullet out. Luckily, it didn't seem to have shattered when it went in. Now free of the bullet, the wound started to bleed more freely.

"Mother-! You couldn't have waited until I got ready?" The guard wheezed, gazing at the bullet in my hand.

"Don't be such a wimp," I answered, wiping the blood from my hands. "That wasn't even the worst part."

"You mean there's more?"

I grinned. "Oh, yeah."

A bright blue flame appeared at the end of my finger. It flickered once before turning into a thin sword-like object. Behind me, a few people gasped in surprise.

"Ready?" I asked, illuminating my face in the fire.

"You're not serious."

"As serious as a heart attack, or do you want to bleed to death? Your call."

He seemed to think about it for a few moments. Then, "Just be gentle."

"Gentle is my middle name. Now hold still."

The flame made contact with his skin and began to slowly seal the the wound shut. It was hard working with a flame that was so small, but I made do. The only real problem was keeping it from getting too hot and barbecuing the guard's innards. Luckily, I've been shot at so many times that I've become a legend at doing this sort of thing.

"ARRGGHH! It burns!" the guard shouted.

"Almost done," I mumbled through my gritted teeth.

A few seconds later, the wound was effectively seared closed. I let the flame go out and grinned at the guard. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

The guard looked at the wound and then back at me. "How did you…?"

I held up my hand. "No questions. I'm not in the mood."

"But-"

"None," I repeated.

The guard nodded.

"Good. Now I think it's time we got out of here, don't you agree?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"Get out of here? Don't you think we've tried?" A woman said. "That door is hard enough to get into when you're on the outside; how exactly do you propose we get get out when we're locked inside?"

"Why don't we just use some dynamite and blow it off its hinges?" Another woman, a teen, sarcastically added.

"That'll work." I replied.

"Say what?" the teen shot back.

"I'm going to blow the door off its hinges," I said with a straight face.

"Are you serious? Who knows how thick that thing is? You'd need a tank to get through it."

"Exactly. So I suggest you get away from the door."

Flashing Anais one of my trademark smiles, I walked over to the steel-plated door and placed my hand on one of the hinges. Instantly the door started to warp and melt under my touch. Within a few minutes, I had every hinge melted off and a half-destroyed door laying on the ground. The group was speechless as they watched the fire from my hand go out.

"Stay here," I stated coolly, as I strolled out of the room. "I'll be back."

* * *

I spotted the robbers as soon as I turned the last corner. They were huddled around the main safe and not really paying attention to their surroundings. Remaining silent, I slipped behind a nearby desk and started to survey the scene.

There were only two of them: Craig and the leader. I guessed the other guy was still on the floor in the lobby crying over his broken leg. Two armed thugs against one unarmed teenager; I had seen worse odds. At least this time, I knew no one was packing a rocket launcher.

"So, how about we ask for a helicopter loaded with the eighty grand, and a jet waiting at the airport?" Craig said.

"That might work, but we'll still need one of the hostages until we can get to the jet," the leader replied.

"As long as we let him go afterwards, I don't care."

"Of course."

"So, it's settled. We ask the cops for a helicopter and a jet, fly to some random tropical island in the pacific, and buy off the officials. Then we're set for life."

"Speaking of being set for life, how long are you going to be hiding under that desk?"

Uh oh. They found me?

"Yeah, I know you're there. So you might as well come out already."

"You see someone?"

"Yeah, behind that desk. Go check it out."

Sighing, I prepared to give myself up, only to hear someone else's voice, a feminine voice.

"Don't shoot!" The voice called from somewhere to my right.

Turning, I looked at the figure. And then I slapped myself repeatedly to be sure I wasn't seeing things. Standing adjacent to my hiding place was a pink cat who looked exactly like Nicole, albeit a younger version. She was wearing a black shirt and a short blue skirt identical to the one Nicole liked to wear. In fact, she looked so much like Nicole that I actually started to sweat bullets. _Exactly who was this girl?_

Look Craig, it's a young girl," the leader said. "What do you think you were doing hiding behind that desk, huh girl?"

"I was hiding from you."

"Is that so? Craig, can you show her what we do to people who hide from us?"

Craig solemnly nodded and grabbed her by the arm. Without a word he bent the arm backwards and broke it.

"AHHH!" The pink cat screamed sinking to her knees.

"Shut up or he'll do it again." The leader shouted.

The pink cat immediately stopped screaming, giving little sniffles.

"That's better. Now Craig, I want you to kill her."

Say what? I thought.

"Say what?" Craig asked.

"You heard me; Kill her. We need to make examples out of those who cross us," The leader calmly repeated.

"But she didn't-" Craig started.

"Do you want to die, too?" the leader asked, taking out his pistol.

"No sir."

"Good," he said, throwing Craig the pistol. "Use that."

Nodding, Craig cocked the gun and put it against the girl's forehead. "It's nothing personal, you understand."

Instantly, the girl lost it and started bawling. "Please don't kill me. I-I could be your slave. Or your cook. Or whatever. Just don't kill me."

"Oh, do shut up!" the leader snarled. "Craig, kill her already."

Craig nodded again, pressing his finger against the trigger. He closed his eyes and slowly pulled the trigger.

_KRACK!_

The gun flew out of Craig's hand and onto the floor near the leader's feet.

"_**Don't you dare." I said as he reached for the gun.**_

_**I slowly stood up and walked around the table, a soft glow emanating from my hands. The air began to heat up as small sparks of fire bounced off my body and caught on the surrounding objects. Everywhere I stepped I left charred footprints that slowly consume the expensive rug. The robbers' faces quickly went from startled to cold-hard fear. Thinking fast, Craig decided to throw the desk at me. Unfortunately for him the desk melted before it could even touch my body, something that probably filled them with even more dread.**_

"_**So, you thought you could just off some defenseless girl and get away with it?" I asked, producing a fireball.**_

_**They didn't answer, too stunned by what they were seeing to even attempt speech.**_

"_**Answer me," I ordered, throwing the fireball at their feet.**_

"_**We weren't going to. It was a joke," the leader muttered.**_

"_**Oh, a joke huh?" I said. "So that's supposed to make everything alright?"**_

_**They didn't answer.**_

"_**Well, how's this for jokes?" **_

_**I grabbed the leader by his collar and lifted him off the ground. With one swift movement, I threw him through the steel door of the safe. He screamed as every bone in his body snapped like a twig, and then again when I walked through the hole in the door.**_

The flames went out as I once again picked him up, this time by his neck.

"Please…" He gurgled, blood and smoke surrounding him and clouding his vision.

"What?"

"Please, don't kill me."

"And why shouldn't I? You were planning to kill that girl and she asked for mercy."

"Please...I won't do it...again," He sniveled.

"You won't?"

"No! No, sir. I'll change my ways and everything. I'll become an honest part of society."

I groaned. "Okay, I'll let you go."

"Thank y-"

"But if I ever hear that you bastards have been doing something like this again…" I squeezed his neck until he started to choke. "I won't be so merciful."

"I-I understand."

"Good."

I let him drop to the floor. He groaned softly, unable to get back up. Sighing I turned to go find Craig, only to be tackled from behind.

"What?" I said, flipping over. It was the pink cat and she was crying.

"I can't believe I actually found you, Gumball!" She exclaimed.

"Gumball?"

Suddenly, she started passionately kissing me on each cheek, repeatedly. "I've missed you so much, brother!"

"Woah hold on! Brother?" I questioned as I pushed her away.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, for starters my name isn't Gumball!" I said.

"It's not? But you look almost just like him," She responded.

"But I'm not. My name is Carson."

"Carson?"

"Yes. Carson."

As if to prove my point, Anais came running around the corner, shouting my name. "Carson! You did it!"

"Anais?" I said as she tackled me.

"Anais?" the pink cat repeated.

Anais stopped hugging me and looked at the pink cat. Instantly her mouth fell open.

"Lexy?" she said, walking over to the pink cat.

"Lexy? Who's Lexy?" I asked, dumbfounded.

Instead of answering me, the girls suddenly began hugging and crying loudly, a strange display which caught the attention of a few passing police officers who had arrived to help evacuate the remaining hostages. Breaking from the group, a couple of officers hurried over to see what was going on.

"You kids alright?" one of the officers asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said. "Don't know about them, though."

The officer looked at me, his eyes changing from questioning to suspicious to recognition. He motioned to his partner, who immediately pulled out his taser.

"Uh, what's going on?" I asked, eyeing the taser.

"Nothing, as long as you do what we say," the first officer said, getting his handcuffs. "Just stay calm and let me put these on you."

"Heck no." I answered, quickly running to evade the officer.

"Hey, get back here!" He ordered, giving chase.

By now, the girls had also noticed what was going on and came over.

"What's going on?" the pink cat, Lexy, asked.

"Nothing you girls should be worried about. We're just taking your friend here in for some questioning," the second officer replied without taking his eyes off me.

"What? Why?" Anais asked.

"Didn't he just say it was none of your business?" the first officer said, still trying to get the handcuffs on me. "Hey, hold still!"

"No," I replied. "Not until you tell me what's going on."

Sighing, the first officer stopped and looked at his partner. They both nodded.

"Fine. We'll tell you."

"Really?" I asked as I stopped running.

"No! Shoot him, Bagby!"

Instantly, I felt 50,000 volts of pure electricity shoot through my body, knocking me out. Shit.

What was it with this town?


End file.
